A two-night, three-day retreat at the Barona Resort and Casino is once again on tap for nearly 50 locally elected officials and staffers from the San Diego Association of Governments.

The regional transportation and environmental planning agency is spending about $20,000 on the annual retreat where goals and initiatives for the coming year are established.

It is the fourth consecutive year the casino has served as the retreat venue for representatives of the county and 18 cities that make up the association board.

An agency spokeswoman said the relatively remote site in Lakeside as necessary to get board members to stay and fully participate in the retreat set for next Wednesday through Friday.

“It’s definitely a working retreat and if you have it in a downtown location people are more apt not to participate or leave early and come and go,” said the spokeswoman, Colleen Windsor.

Lani Lutar of the independent San Diego County Taxpayers Association questions the distance from major public transportation services and whether the cost is a wise use of public dollars.

“The issue beyond the expenditure of taxpayer dollars is the location,” Lutar said. “And while I understand the idea of a retreat being outside of the regular place of business, this is a public agency responsible for regional planning and it would seem more appropriate to have a location that is readily accessible and not somewhere out in East County.”

The resort at 1932 Wildcat Canyon Road is 27 miles from downtown San Diego, 30 miles from Escondido and Chula Vista and 52 miles from Oceanside. And even though her home is about 20 miles from the casino, Lemon Grove Mayor Mary Sessom said she will stay the two nights.

“We all have big stakes in this and often people with the biggest stakes don’t stay unless it’s off-site,” she said. “We have some major issues confronting us and the retreat gives me the opportunity to pull someone aside and sit down over a cup of tea and get to know them and what they want to accomplish. That’s what this is all about, and you just can’t get the same thing sitting in the downtown board room.”

Twenty-nine board members have signed up for overnight stays along with 15 staffers and five guests. The association has a nearly $1.3 billion budget, deriving most of its revenues coming from a voter-approved Transnet tax and the state and federal government.

It spent a little more than $15,000 on the retreat two years ago and $17,629 last year. The tab included the cost of rooms rentals, food and equipment.

This year’s agenda includes sessions on marketing, new forms of social media and potential changes in state environmental law. The group will be addressed separately by Irwin Jacobs, founding chairman of Qualcomm, and U-T Vice President & CEO John Lynch.

The retreat closes with an inspirational address from Miles McPherson, former San Diego Charger and a pastor at The Rock Church.

Oceanside City Councilman Jack Feller said he would prefer meeting out at Borrego Springs where the retreat has been conducted in past years.

“It really isolated us and created a better environment where you weren’t tempted to drive back and forth,” he said.

But Feller also said he believes the retreat should be in an area reachable by train and bus as well as private vehicles.

“It’s hard for the public to get to,” he said.

Windsor said members of the public have managed to get to the casino by transit bus in past years.

All retreat sessions are open to the public but they will not be available via webcast as is the case with the association’s board meetings.

Overnight stays for any young people who may want to attend may be problematic as the casino also does not rent rooms to anyone under age 21